More students are passing up offers from their first-choice colleges, often after they see the
cost, a national survey shows.

Three out of every four college freshmen were accepted by the school at the top of their list,
researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles found. But only 57 percent enrolled at
those schools, the lowest rate since the annual survey started asking students about the topic four
decades ago.

At the same time, more students said cost was a major consideration.

Of 165,000 students surveyed, just shy of half said cost was a “very important” factor, and a
similar percentage said financial aid carried the same weight. Both figures are the highest that
researchers have recorded for the survey.

“The difficult financial decisions that students and their families have to make about college
are becoming more evident,” Kevin Eagan, interim director of the Cooperative Institutional Research
Program at UCLA, said in a statement.

Schools that lower their costs are gaining a competitive edge, Eagan said.

Among those who turned down admission from their top choice, 62 percent said they were offered
financial aid by the school they ultimately chose to attend.

Students are applying to more schools, too. About 55 percent applied to at least four schools, a
jump of 10 percentage points since 2008.

The survey results match what education officials see in Ohio.

“We encourage them to apply no matter what the cost is,” said Sara Williams, president of the
Ohio School Counselor Association.

But some students have second thoughts once they’re admitted to their dream school and see the
price, said Williams, who is also a counselor at Unioto High School in Chillicothe. “They come back
into our offices devastated,” she said.

Counselors discuss loans and financial-aid options in those cases. But interest is rising in
schools that keep costs lower, particularly community colleges and regional branches of four-year
schools, Williams said.

At Columbus State Community College, more students are turning to a program that gives them
guaranteed admission to some four-year schools after earning a two-year associate degree at the
community college, said Mabel Freeman, interim vice president of student affairs at Columbus
State.

Meanwhile, recruiters know that if they don’t offer the better financial-aid deal, students are
willing to move down their list, said Ross Grippi, president-elect of the Ohio Association for
College Admission Counseling.

“You’re fighting for every student, and oftentimes it does come down to financial aid as much as
you don’t want it to,” said Grippi, who also is the director of marketing and recruitment at
Baldwin Wallace University in Berea, near Cleveland.

When it comes down to choosing between a student’s top pick and a less-costly second or third
option, it’s a tough conversation, Williams said. She tells students that they and their families
have to decide whether it’s worth the investment.

“I want to encourage my students to reach for the stars,” she said. “But, on the other hand, I
can’t look at a kid and say ‘put yourself in debt’ when you’re going to get an equal-caliber
education and you’re still going to get your degree for the job that you want.”